Pierless Sailing Adventures

It had been two full days of motoring before we arrived at Mazatlan.  By now, we were used to the constant drone of the engine.  The four hour watch schedule worked well for everyone, providing a good 8 hrs off for resting and the helm was easy while motoring in calm conditions. Yesterday provided a welcome parade of wildlife to observe.  It included our first sighting of dolphins.  We hoped to see a sunfish, but no such luck.  Other days, almost nothing.  The seas and winds were remarkably calm the entire way across. We expected to arrive around midnight.  We had not seen much traffic on the crossing, but as we drew closer to Mazatlan, traffic picked up a bit.  One large freighter was going to approach us a little too close for comfort, so we altered course to give them plenty of room.  It is really nice having current navigation equipment onboard.  The new chart plotter and AIS (Automatic Identification System) provide important inform...

The weather has not changed. Light winds from the NW, no wind waves to speak of and small swell to keep the boat rocking...  My morning shift from 4 to 8 seemed long this time.   I was a little tired and had to focus to keep on task.  I did not see another boat, though a few did show up on our navigation instruments, but were too far away to see. I managed to get some good sleep after my morning.  I start my afternoon watch again at 4.  While Dave was on watch, a pod of what I think are pacific bottlenose dolphins paid us a visit.  They played around the boat for quite a while, diving under and around the bow.  Not sure how many in the pod, but would guess a dozen or so.  We also saw a sea lion on its back with flippers out of the water – just floating there.  There was a sea lion in the marina that did the same thing.  None of us had seen that before.   Dolphin underwater:   A few smaller birds flew by, some looked like swa...

We were up at sunup today to prepare the boat for departure and to say goodbye to Tony.  We filled the water tank last evening and I went up the mast to retrieve the broken boom topping lift.  We just needed to fuel up this morning, eat and get going. We walked down to a nearby restaurant/inn (the one Tony will be staying at tonight).   They have a really nice restaurant with friendly staff and good food. We ate and headed back to the boat to fuel up. Another sailboat was fueling when we got back.  It happened to be crewed by a guy we met in Mazatlan.   He and another fellow were hired to move the boat to San Diego.  They planned to motor most of the way and apparently had the horsepower to push through the wind and waves. Tony said the airport security would not allow him to take his CO2 cartridge that inflates his lifevest, so he decided to try it out to see how it works...   After fueling up, we said our goodbyes and headed out of the marina ...

We hoped to reach Cabo by early evening, but had no idea if they would have space for us.  We arrived just after midnight and were able to raise the marina on the VHF to see what options they had for us.  Unfortunately, there was no room at the inn. Our second option was northeast from Cabo at an area called Cabo San Jose.  The marina there is called Marina Puerto Los Cabos.  It is a small, quiet marina and looked like our best option.  Winds were down, so back to motoring... We arrived at 5:00 a.m. in the dark.  It was a new experience coming into an unknown harbor in the dark, but our instruments provided accurate information and the entrance was properly lighted, so in we went!  They had a nice deep entrance, so that was a relief.  We motored in, looking for a guest dock or some other area we could tie up until we could check in.  We found the fuel dock which also served as a long guest dock.   We pulled up at the guest dock/fue...

Today we saw our highest winds.  Weather was building in the evening and by midnight we had winds from 18 - 24 knots.  We peaked out with gusts up to about 30 knots.  Not crazy conditions, but still a challenge.  Waves were around 8-10 feet with large swells.  The boat handled it well and the cockpit felt secure, though there was significant motion and more noise. We sailed under staysail and double reefed main. During the night the boom topping lift broke.  It is a line from the end of the boom to the top of the mast and is used to raise or lower the outer end of the boom.  While inconvenient, I had rigged spair jib and main halyards, so we used the spare main halyard as a temporary fix.  It worked fine. Our progress was still slow.  At our current rate, we would not make San Diego in time to meet our schedule for the crew.  It was a difficult reality, but turning back seemed the only reasonable option open to us.  With a bigger en...

 April 22 proved to be more of the same.  Reasonable winds for sailing, but coming straight from the direction we need to go.  More tacking, more motorsailing. We all noticed the change to cooler weather once we rounded the cape.  Daytime temps were lower and night watches could get chilly.  We piled on more clothes and huddled under the dodger for a break from the wind.  The windvane is nice in these conditions since you don't have to sit at the helm to keep on course.  Today was much the same as yesterday.  Tacking and motorsailing as conditions demanded.  We were still falling behind our schedule, only making 50 miles or so toward our destination.  Unless we can come up with a solution, we will have some hard decisions ahead of us...

We were up early for our Cabo San Lucas departure.  We left the marina under power and headed southwest to round the cape.  The area around the cape can get rough, so an early start before the winds picked up seemed the prudent thing to do.  There was little to no wind, so we continued motoring NW up the outer coast of Baha.  We passed many fancy hotels/condos and golf courses on the way.  Finally, around 11:00, the wind picked up enough to try sailing.  This lasted about an hour when the wind died back and we reverted to motorsailing.  We saw a turtle and a sea lion along the way. By 4:00 the wind picked up and we were back to sailing.  We were passed by the Carnival Majestic Princess cruise ship.  It was making better time than us...  Winds were 8 to 12 knots and our boat speed was 4 to 6 knots.  We continued sailing all through the night, reducing sail as the winds increased.  A booby landed on the bow and kept us company mo...

 We got an early start today.  I had to check in with the harbor master and with immigration.  There were boat projects to do, and a new town to explore. The marina is quite nice.  Clear restrooms and showers.  Things mostly work.  The waterfront is very busy with tourists.  Lots of gift shops and restaurants competing for our traveling dollars. I had some hardware to look for, so made a list of possible locations and put them on the map the marina folks gave us.  I would check shops to and from the harbor master office and immigration.  It warmed up early, so I had a warm walk to the harbor master.  After getting our entry and departure papers, I checked on the first hardware shop.  Mostly car parts... Immigration was next after about a mile walk back toward the harbor.  It was much like a DMV back home.  A long counter with staff and three rows of chairs that people were sitting in.  It wasn't clear how things worke...

Follow our progress on a map at this url: https://share.garmin.com/SED8C We motor sailed most of the night and into the morning.  We saw more dolphins, flying fish and birds.  A booby landed on the boat in the evening and stayed aboard until morning.   We picked a path to take us closer to shore in order to get cell coverage.  We wanted to let folks know we were a day late getting in, but doing fine.  I think we were able to get connections sometime in the morning. There were many whales splashing and breaching on the last 20-30 miles to Cabo.  Dolphins too.  It was a noisy ride with the motor, but we were making good progress. As we neared Cabo, the boat traffic increased tremendously.  After three days of mostly open ocean and nobody around, it began to feel crowded.  Many of the boats were excursions, either to see whales or go diving.   The winds were building as we approached the harbor, but still on the nose.  We motor sa...

It became clear we would not make Cabo today.  We have had light winds and winds much more from the west than expected.  By the end of the day, we were motor sailing on a more direct course to keep from falling further behind.   Running the engine is rarely my first choice.  It is noisy, hot, uses fossil fuels and eliminates the general peacefulness of sailing.  Still...  we are on a bit if a schedule.  We would switch back to sailing as conditions allowed, but motoring was our method of travel for much of the day.   We saw a freighter and a cruise ship during the night.  We see them on our AIS navigation tool long before we can see them visually.  The AIS system tells us where the vessel is, what direction it is heading and how fast it is going.  It also lets us know how close we will come to the ship and at what time - assuming nobody changes course.  We can also set alarms so it will chirp at us if someone is too c...

 Last night was partially cloudy, but we did see some stars.  The bright moon kept many hidden.  Sunrise was beautiful and brought back some warmth.  We were still dealing with headwinds, so not making a direct course to Cabo.  We had shortened sail for the night, so as conditions changed we put up the genoa sail (the large jib) to keep our speed up.  Sail changes usually take three people.  One to manage the helm, one to manage the sail sheet and one to work the halyard.  Of course, the genoa is roller furled, so nobody has to leave the cockpit to take it in or let it out.  The staysail requires someone to go up on the foredeck to pull it down and secure it, or the reverse it it is being put up.  Our first few times were a little clumsy, but everyone is getting better at it as we go. We saw several whales today.  We are guessing humpback or greys.  Lots of birds as well.  We are all settling into the motion of the boat....

Sailing into the unknown today.  This will be a new experience for everyone onboard and we are excited for the adventure.  Dave has been offshore on fishing boats, so is familiar with the ocean (though a more challenging area than Mexico).  He has not sailed, so this will be a new way to experience the world aquatic. We left the marina around 3:45 and sailed West.  The wind was from the NW, so it was not possible to keep to a direct course for Cabo.  This is fairly normal when sailing.  The boat cannot sail directly into the wind.  In fact, we can't sail comfortable in less than about 35 degrees off the wind - more likely 40 degrees.  So, we will zigzag the way to our destination.  Right off the bat, we heard a pop and found we had broken a block (pulley) that routes the mainsheet (one of the ropes controlling the main sail).  It had corroded at the base.  We rigged a backup pulley using a new block and continued on.  We will a...

Friday was a busy day for everyone.  We were completing final preparations for leaving on Saturday afternoon.  An afternoon departure should put us in Cabo in the morning on Monday. We finished our last provisioning run, tidied up the boat, filled tanks and other general readiness tasks.  We also finished the head (toilet) repairs!   This was a major accomplishment.  Not in it's difficulty, but just all the hassles we went through trying to find the correct pieces for all the connections.  Tony brought some parts with him and with those along with some encouragement from the heat gun, we got it done. Part of our departure timing was related to the moon cycle.  I wanted to leave when we would have some moonlight for our first crossing.  I think Saturday is a full moon, so we are looking forward to enjoying the moon rise at sea and the welcome illumination it will provide.    We went out for pizza in the evening.  Each of us orde...

Today was provisioning and market day.  We plan to leave Saturday afternoon, so wanted to get the bulk of our provisioning done today to give us a couple days to remember what we forgot to buy.  The market was more of a tourist visit with the promise of finding some nice straw hats for the sun. Scott, Dave and Tony headed off to the market and I stayed back to finish a few projects while the boat was empty.  I got power to the 12v outlets by Dave's bunk, did some work on the deck and paid a diver to find a shackle I dropped overboard the other day.  I also picked up our propane bottle which was dropped off yesterday to be filled.  We carry two tanks, one larger and one small.  We run the large one until it is out, then switch to the smaller and start looking for a refill. When the guys got back, we took a break then Scott and I headed out for provisioning.  I stopped at the phone store to add data to my MX phone, then we headed to Sam's Club.  We ...

We checked out of the marina today.  No, we did not leave, but this weekend is a holiday and the marina office will be closed, so we checked out early for our Saturday departure. Scott took inventory of our food stuffs.  We will use this information when we provision on Thursday for the trip.  We plan to have enough food, plus extra, to get to San Diego.  We will also head down to the Mercado to do some tourist shopping. We went out for another sail today.  On the way out, we dropped off our outboard to see if it can be fixed.  It ran okay once, but is not working now.  The harbor entrance was rougher today, with swells around 5 or 6 feet and fresh wind.  We put up the smaller staysail and full main and were cooking along at 6 to 7 knots.  The boat handled well, but we were challenged with the rougher water. We practiced with the wind vane again.  Worked like a charm.  This will be a great tool for our trip. In planning the trip, I ...

Tony arrived this afternoon!  Scott, Dave and I went out to meet him in his taxi and to make sure they knew where to stop.  It didn't quite work out that way.  We saw the cab, we saw Tony, Tony saw us, but the cab just kept going!  Eventually they stopped, backed up and Tony arrived.  We got him settled into the v-berth, visited, gave him a tour of the boat and relaxed a bit.  Hearing we were having difficulties with our outboard motor, he jumped in the dinghy and went to work.   Our morning was busy as well.  Dave and I worked on the reefing gear, making a small but important change in how the ropes run.  I washed the port side of the deck and checked some of the rigging.  While I was washing, Dave and Scott took a trip to the store for some items we needed. They picked up a new stool to use when boarding the boat from the pier.  We borrowed one from an unused slip when we arrived.  Someone then borrowed it from us. ...

We spent the afternoon sailing.  So far, the roller furling is working like a charm.  We practiced reefing the mainsail, and that went well, though there are a couple of adjustments that should improve things.  Winds were 10 to 15.  The boat easily moved along between 5 and 7 knots.  We reefed the main and put up the smaller staysail and were able to maintain speed well with less effort. The most exciting part of our sail today was experimenting with the wind vane.  We set it up yesterday and tried it out on the water today.  It was fairly easy to set up and it worked really well.  I thought we would have a bit of a learning curve, but it wasn't hard at all.  With our wind vane, we can set a course, trim the sails, then engage the wind vane to keep the boat on a consistent heading with respect to the wind direction.  You don't have to touch the helm at all.  This is like having an extra person onboard.  If you are on watch, you...

Another warm day here in Mazatlan.  We are quickly wrapping up on the projects list.  Tony will be here soon as well, so we are getting the dirty laundry out of his bunk...  We are planning to move our itinerary up a couple of days, so should have no problems sticking to our current schedule. Pierless With Dodger:  Today we caulked one toerail on the boat.  Will do the other side this week.  I shipped caulk in the UPS package that never arrived, so bought a tube here a couple of weeks ago.  Apparently, I bought black caulk instead of white.  It took me an hour or so to convince myself that black toerail caulk would be great, so I used it and I do like the look. Dave took on the setup of our wind vane.  Ours is a Monitor brand.  I have never had one on a boat, so this is a new thing to learn for all of us.  Wind vanes are an ingenious contraption that has a wind vane that aligns with the direction of the wind.  If the boat veers...

Nacho runs the Travelift at the Fonatur Marina.  The Travelift is a mobile lifting machine that picks boats up out of the water and deposits them on land in a cradle or on jack stands.  Nacho was kind enough to schedule us for a haulout on short notice so we could inspect and possibly repair any damage incurred during our encounter with the rock.     We had a 9:30 appointment, so headed over a little early to be ready.  Haulouts here are a little tense because you have to back into the area where the boat is lifted out.  Problem is my boat does not like to back up...  Nonetheless, we made it in and Nacho lifted us out and moved the boat over to the yard, leaving it in the slings for us to do our inspection. We could clearly see the point of impact on the keel.  It was in the lead ballast area, which we suspected, so mostly damaged the lead and some faring material.  Fortunately, some of the boatyard folks were around and they offered to ...

After yesterday afternoon's sudden turn of events, I was anxious to see about fixing the problem with the propeller drive shaft.  Yes, it is a sailboat, but having an auxiliary means of propulsion is very handy in tight quarters - like a marina.  We are also likely to use it when the wind dies in order to keep on our schedule.  So once again, I tear apart my sleeping quarters to access the engine *which is under my mattress)... The cause of the problem was the shaft moving back out of the coupling to the transmission.  It appears it was not properly attached, allowing it to slowly slip back until it was no longer connected.  Not a huge problem, but we might need parts and it was possible something was damaged in the process.  We also wanted to have the propeller checked in case we picked up some fishing gear or something. I texted my local contact who came by in the morning.  He told me who to contact to dive on the boat to check things out.  He a...

Today we went sailing!  The weather could not have been better.  Swells were not more than 1 meter and winds were variable 10-15.  Very nice conditions for our first time out.   We exited the marina and headed north.  After a short time motoring, we raised the mainsail and cut the engine.  I always enjoy shutting down the engine.  The boat becomes quiet and you can hear the wind, water and birds.  Everyone had time at the helm and handling lines.  The guys are learning the ropes quickly.   Scott at the helm: We unfurled the main jib (genoa) and were soon sailing along between 5 and 7 knots.  We did some tacks and headed south on the west side of Bird Island.  Eventually we came about and headed back north, then furled in the genoa and raised the smaller staysail to see how it flies.  This is a smaller sail and work well.  We will normally use it in windier conditions. Dave at the helm: Another tack and we he...